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My late November trip to Piedmont was full of
surprises. I encountered two massive snowstorms in the span of three days, the
second of which forced me to abandon my car on the hills of La Morra! The roads
were virtually desolate, and the sight of these pristine hillside vineyards
covered in snow instilled a surreal sense of calm in my otherwise jam-packed
schedule. As usual, I spent most of my time evaluating the 2005 Barolos, but
also had a chance to get a sneak preview of the 2006s, 2007s and 2008s. Once
again it looks like Piedmont (Barolo in particular) is in the midst of string
of excellent to profound vintages that may in time rival 1996-2001. Many wines
I tasted from barrel were simply thrilling. Unfortunately it has become
increasingly clear that producers will have a hard time selling these wines
through to the final consumer. The global recession and string of successful
vintages is a recipe for pricing pressure on the downside, something I am
already seeing as aggressive retailers in the US discount their remaining
stocks of 2004 Barolos. In addition, consumers around the world are trading
down to more affordable wines, and also drinking bottles they already own.
While the environment will be challenging for the growers and the trade,
Piedmont fans will have no shortage of great wines to consider over the next
few years.

The 2005 Barolos will begin to appear on the
market within the coming months. Overall, the vintage is stronger than I had
originally thought, but with some important caveats. The oft- repeated line
about real estate is “location, location, location.” The same thing can be said
to summarize the 2005 Barolos. The conventional view in Piedmont is that the
best vineyards are those with southern exposures, where the winter snow melts
first. In the pre-climate change world, Nebbiolo had difficulty ripening and
location was indeed paramount. That is again the case in 2005, where the top
sites yielded beautiful fruit, but anything less than well-situated vineyards
struggled. Compare that with 2004, where many of the entry-level Barolos were
wonderful, and the difference in the vintages is striking. At the high end
though, the best 2005s are exceptional and aren’t too far off the levels top
producers achieved in 2004.

Temperatures during the 2005 growing season
were cooler than normal and weather was unstable throughout the year. The key event of the vintage was a forecast of
extended downpours in early October which forced producers to make a choice;
either harvest before the rains and accept that the fruit might not be fully
physiologically ripe, or wait and risk extensive damage. The vast majority of
producers picked before the rains, although it is the rare grower who has the
candor to openly say they picked some or all of their fruit after a spell of
rain that ended up lasting a week or more! From a simple, logistical
standpoint, this set of circumstances favored small growers who could pick most
or their entire crop in a few days and penalized larger estates that, by their
sheer size, were forced to harvest over several weeks.

So, how are the wines? The answer is far
better than I originally expected. The firm tannins the wines showed a few
years ago have in many cases softened and the top wines are gorgeous. This is a
medium-bodied style of Barolo, with about 1% less alcohol than has become
common over recent years. To consumers who have been buying Piedmont wines for
several decades, the wines will feel quite classic. In some ways 2005 reminds
me of 1979, a vintage of smaller-scaled wines that were largely overlooked on
the heels of the monumental 1978s, but that have aged beautifully. In terms of
more recent years, 2005 reminds me most of 1993, a vintage in which the wines
have developed nicely and are beginning to reach their maximum expression. The
2005s appear to be relatively early- drinking Barolos. Most of the better wines
should peak around age 15 in terms of their development, but may continue to
hold for sometime thereafter, as the acidities are slightly higher than normal.
Readers who love the great Barolos of Piedmont should be enthusiastic about the
prospects of a high-quality vintage where the wines won’t require decades of
aging prior to reaching maturity.

As I alluded to above, Barolo once again
finds itself with another string of potentially outstanding harvests spanning
2004-2008, recalling the unprecedented series of strong vintages from 1996 to
2001. Within this context, it might be tempting to dismiss the 2005s. Speak
with any old-timer, though, and they will tell you that while 2005 may not be a
legendary vintage by today’s standards, several decades ago growers would have
been thrilled with wines like these. The 2005s offer a wide range of quality,
yet through careful selection readers will be able to pick up some jewels for
the cellar, especially in a market environment where pricing is increasingly
under pressure. Readers who want to get an early look at how vintages 2006,
2007 and 2008 are shaping up may want to take a look at my recent article Piedmont
Report: Barolo 2005-2009.